| From the Wilmington Journal |
| June 2, 1864 |
| |
| Government Impressment of Railroads |
| Most persons are aware that
with some government officials there has been a tendency or disposition
looking to the impressment of railroads, virtually taking their control
out of the hands of their own officers, and working them to suit the
notion of persons clothed with a little brief authority; and
occasionally, during the last five or six weeks we have heard of threats
being made by Government agents, that certain rail roads in North
Carolina and Virginia, and perhaps in South Carolina would be
"impressed," "seized," "lines consolidated and worked by Government,"
&c. |
| We have always thought that
the parties placed in charge of railroads by their stockholders,
selected for their acquaintance with the business upon which they are
engaged, having experience in carrying it on, fully aware of the state
of the roads, together with their needs and capacities, could operate
such roads to better advantage to the private property involved, and at
the same time better meet the wants of the Government and the public in
general than could any mere military agents possessing few or none of
these advantages or aid to success. Indeed so plain has this appeared to
us that we could not and cannot do otherwise than regard any unnecessary
interference or tampering with railroads by government as highly
impolitic, and almost suicidal. And indeed we have recently heard that
an old and eminent railroad Engineer had remarked in regard to the plans
of impressment by a young government agent, that this was doing the work
of the enemy whether the person meant it so or not. |
| As a rule the railroads have
acted in the most patriotic spirit and have leant all their energies to
supporting the country and sustaining the government in the struggle in
which we are now engaged; and although of course, the life of the
country is a consideration of a higher character than the conservation
of any merely private interest, still it is due to the stockholders in
railroads that their property should neither be unnecessarily injured,
nor their control over it unnecessarily usurped. All the considerations
of justice and expediency appear to us to combine in favor of allowing
these works to remain under the control of their regularly appointed
officers, whose patriotism and desire to expedite the public business
has not been called into question, and whose experience and knowledge of
the workings of their respective roads must exceed that of any mere
military officials, no matter how able or intelligent they may be. As
for instance on the roads through this section of the State, to which we
refer particularly because acquainted with them than with any others, we
are assured that no complaint has been made by any government having
charge of transportation, and living along the line and knowing the
facts. All the Quartermasters whose business it is to ship goods, have
testified to the efficiency of the seaboard line from Wilmington to
Weldon -- at least so we are informed, and we believe that General
Whiting, in a letter, has borne testimony to the same fact. We do not
know that any different state of things exists between Wilmington and
Kingsville. And indeed it was not until the Government found itself
short of corn some two months ago, that any demand came here to increase
the means of transportation, which was promptly done to the exclusion of
all private business. Our roads at once set themselves to work to
do all that their means would possibly enable them to do, and we know
that a similar spirit will always characterize their relations towards
the government and the cause. It requires no military compulsion to
induce them to do their full duty, while at the same time stockholders
would be apt to resent any attempt to transfer their property from the
control of its owners and the management of the officers selected by
them. We have heard it said that Gov. Vance had expressed his
determination to directly resist any "impressment" of the N. C.
Railroad, (Central,) thus bringing about an issue between the State and
the Confederacy, over which sundry Conservatives of the "strictest sect"
would no doubt chuckle amazingly. |
| We are pleased, however, to
learn that President Davis has given assurances that no such step is
contemplated -- that roads acting in good faith to the Government shall
not be interfered with -- that "Government does not want an elephant."
It has now more than it can attend to. The President feels "that the
same patriotism which brought the roads to the aid of the Government at
the beginning of the struggle, will continue to direct all their
energies to the completion of the great work before them." We have no
doubt but that this assurance will be highly acceptable to the
Stockholders in our roads, and trust that there may not hereafter arise
any cause, real or supposed, for varying from the course thus indicate. |
| We have just heard that
Captain J. M. Robinson, corps of Engineers, C. S. A., has been assigned
to duty between Richmond and Wilmington as Inspector of Railroad
transportation, to assist that line in obtaining additional means of
transportation, and to see that all is done that can be done -- which
arrangement, we learn, is cordially assented to by the North Carolina
Roads, and we presume also by those North of us. |
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